Africa Information Safari

SOUTH SUDANThe Republic of South Sudan
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011 as the outcome of a 2005
peace deal that ended Africa's longest-running civil war. An overwhelming majority of South Sudanese
voted in a January 2011 referendum to secede and become Africa's first new country since Eritrea split
from Ethiopia in 1993. Salva Kiir Mayardit, became the first elected President of South Sudan


GEOGRAPHY:
South Sudan is a landlocked country in East Africa. Its capital and largest city is Juba.
South Sudan is bordered by Ethiopia to the east; Kenya to the southeast; Uganda to the south;
the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the southwest; the Central African Republic to the west;
and Sudan to the north. South Sudan includes the vast swamp region of the Sudd formed by the White Nile,
locally called the Bahr al Jabal.

CLIMATE:
Equatorial climate with high humidity and lots of rainfall. The rainy season varies but is
generally between April and November. Temperatures are moderate but vary depending on the season.

TERRAIN
Mainly plain interrupted every so often by hilly areas with thick equatorial vegetation and
savannah grasslands. The country also has mountainous ranges along its border with Uganda.
Some of these include Imatong, Didinga and Dongotona, which rise more than 3,000 metres above sea level.

MINERAL RESOURCES:
Include petroleum, iron ore, gold, silver, copper, aluminium, coal, uranium, chromium ore, copper, zinc, mica,
diamond, quartz and tungsten.

WATER RESOURCES:
The River Nile is the dominant geographic feature in South Sudan, flowing across the country. South Sudan is home
to the world’s largest swamp, the Sudd,(locally called the Bahr al Jabal)which covers a total area of 30,000 square kilometres.